Mangaluru, June 11, 2017: Briefing media on June 10 Saturday, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U T Khader appealed to the public not to panic over the plastic rice and eggs episode, as there was no basis absolutely.

He said there is no truth in the allegations that plastic rice was being sold in fair price shops. "It is the Food Corporation of India which is supplying rice under the Anna Bhagya scheme. Let us not confuse people and create psychological fear among them. A few persons are trying to bring disrepute to the Anna Bhagya scheme," he said.

"I wonder why anyone would come out with plastic egg or rice as manufacturing them is a costly affair. The health minister has already ordered a probe into the plastic eggs episode. If people get plastic rice from fair price shops, it should be brought to the notice of the department of food and civil supplies immediately," he said.

Khader said the department had withdrawn the guidelines on making education qualification of SSLC mandatory for fair price shop owners along with not renewing fair price shop licences after the owner turns 65.

No plastic rice found, claims officer : Allaying fears about the presence of "plastic rice" in the market, Commissioner for Health and Family Welfare Subodh Yadav said certain varieties of rice may look like plastic but nowhere in the state was such rice found. Officers inspected places wherever there were reports of the presence of plastic rice, plastic sugar and plastic eggs, and collected samples. Laboratory tests of the samples have not revealed anything suspicious. For further investigation, the samples were sent to the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru," he said. Yadav said the public fear about such artificial food items is based on frivolous news. Yet, joint commissioners of the department are carrying out surprise inspections. The commissioner appealed to the people not to fall prey to such rumours. People can approach the department if they come across such adulterated food items.